If you ever think about energy while you are on a roller coaster, well actually you probably are thinking that you don’t want to puke or you'r trying to grab your hat in the row in front of you, but there is lots and lots of different energies involved in the ride. So right at the beginning you are barely moving, but there is still a little bit of kinetic energy (KE). There could even be some gravitational potential energy (GPE), but only if you are off the ground.
At the first point, there is an itty-bitty amount of amount of KE, because you are moving, but there is the highest amount of GPE, which is the potential to fall, because it is at the highest point in the roller coaster. But, when it falls, all of the GPE is changed into KE, which is point 2, and there is no more or very little GPE because it is on the ground or barely off the ground . If there is a loopty-loop, then there is about ¾ GPE, and about ¼ KE. It’s not completely GPE because it’s not as high as the first one, but it still has more GPE than KE. There IS KE because it is moving,but not nearly as much as point 2 where it was completely KE, so there has to be at least some.
KE and GPE are like brothers. They are connected through so many things. But really the main thing is that, let's say we are on the very first hill, point 1 again. So right at the very top there is the full amount of GPE, but right as you start going down, all that GPE starts to turn into KE. And on the loopty-loop, right as there is a peak of KE, as soon as it goes up, almost all of it is turned into GPE. So as you can see, those two energies are very closely connected.
At the first point, there is an itty-bitty amount of amount of KE, because you are moving, but there is the highest amount of GPE, which is the potential to fall, because it is at the highest point in the roller coaster. But, when it falls, all of the GPE is changed into KE, which is point 2, and there is no more or very little GPE because it is on the ground or barely off the ground . If there is a loopty-loop, then there is about ¾ GPE, and about ¼ KE. It’s not completely GPE because it’s not as high as the first one, but it still has more GPE than KE. There IS KE because it is moving,but not nearly as much as point 2 where it was completely KE, so there has to be at least some.
KE and GPE are like brothers. They are connected through so many things. But really the main thing is that, let's say we are on the very first hill, point 1 again. So right at the very top there is the full amount of GPE, but right as you start going down, all that GPE starts to turn into KE. And on the loopty-loop, right as there is a peak of KE, as soon as it goes up, almost all of it is turned into GPE. So as you can see, those two energies are very closely connected.